


Determinism

by shizukopride



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ... if you squint, Blood and Violence, F/F, I don't have any idea what I'm doing, Other, if you want the train to happy town this isn't it, relationships are not a major focal point, so please be gentle, somewhat of a character study, there will be tears, what-if postulation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 14:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6156334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shizukopride/pseuds/shizukopride
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asriel looked down upon the tiny human with an unreadable look, arms spread wide as six white souls vainly clung to existence in front of him, shrouded in uncertainty and static and reaching the point of no return.</p><p>"SAVING is useless here, but with your DETERMINATION, I know you'll cling to life for as long as you can. So, how about we make a deal? Maybe with the little scrap of power you have left, you can SAVE something else." Asriel laughed. "Choose carefully, friend. You can only SAVE one."</p><p>Or, a look at the consequence of choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Determinism

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty new to the Undertale fanfic-writing portion of the fandom. I'm a lazy writer by nature, so most of my ideas don't get written out. Hopefully this will change that. Be gentle, lovelies, for I am of tender heart.

The radiant light shining through the looming windows was far too bright to bring any sort of cheer, they thought dismissively, although they supposed it might have been designed to illuminate or cast shadow on the one entering its hallow ground. Having come so far, the idea was laughable. Being charged for a crime was one thing; being obstructed from fulfilling their mission was entirely another.

  
Footsteps echoed across the linoleum floor as they headed further down the hallway, the yellows and oranges in stark contrast to the roiling thoughts inside their mind. The Judgment Hall stood apart from any other area in the Underground - sleek, purposeful, and yet oddly cold despite the bursting colors of warmth with the atmosphere of a sentence ready to be meted out to the unsuspecting wanderer who dare disturb its solitude. While it was aptly named, they couldn't care much for it. A sentence to hang a neck only worked on those who could not rebel against time. Unfortunately, they were well attuned and at the ready to do so.

  
Eyes stared ahead as feet came to a sudden stop, the features of their face falling into shadow briefly as they were met with an unwelcome sight. In front of them by a handful of yards was the executioner come to silence their actions. His hands were hidden in his pockets but his face did not hide the disappointment lingering. The comedian's eye lights were trained on them, the look shifting to one of condescension and gloat.

  
"heya. you look frustrated about something."

  
Frisk's hand tightened around the knife, frowning as Sans' eye sockets turned into vacant pools of judgment.

  
"guess i'm pretty good at my job, huh?"

  
Without a second to spare listening to his carefully rehearsed monologue of what kids like them should be doing on such a fine day, Frisk charged forward, knife raised high to bring death down upon the skeleton. Sans looked rather amused, his left eye socket beginning to glow blue as he reached for his reservoir of magic. He raised his hand up in silence, and Frisk cursed as they narrowly stopped their advance and jumped to the side, hearing the sharp slash of a dozen bones piercing empty air. Knowing what lingering in one place too long meant as evidenced by their previous trial and failure, the child leaped back as bones materialized in mid-air and rained down upon the spot they vacated merely a second ago.

  
A hiss slipped past their clenched teeth, and they moved forward again, eyes narrowed and crying for murder. The skeleton watched, his smile ever present and forced, and summoned a Gaster Blaster to his side. Frisk dug their feet roughly into the tiles to halt their forward motion and ducked down, the roar of energy above their head complimented by the slight smell of loose hairs burning. A string of curses were rattling around in their mind, ready to be given life when a small part of them quietly told them to not say anything. A moment later and they agreed with the quiet side; best to not destroy the illusion being upheld.

  
Another Gaster Blaster appeared above them, opening its maw wide to deliver death. Frisk would not have any part of that and swiftly dove forward and rolled to their right as a wall of bones attempted to halt their progress. Despite the gains they had made toward the skeleton, they were still far too outmatched to do significant damage. Distance was being quite the bane. As the child ran forward to alleviate the problem, Sans summoned two walls of bones on either side, shifting and swerving. Frisk was forced to slow down and dodge through them, glaring at the monster as he forced them to dance between until the walls came to an end.

  
Taking a quick gulp of fresh air, Frisk used their free hand to wipe droplets of sweat collecting on their face. Sans still stood resolute in the same position, albeit seemingly having teleported himself several feet back. The field of battle was definitely to his advantage. The skeleton raised his arm again.

  
Frisk dove to their left as another slew of bones tried to skewer them, breath starting to become a little harder to muster. As they stood back up, knife still clutched in their hand like a lifeline, Sans lowered his arm and scowled.

  
"so you aren't going to fight." It was clearly a statement; he wasn't going to ask for a single word from them. "interesting what your definition of solution is." Large bones rose up behind Frisk, blocking them from retreating. The air was taunt with the energy of Sans' magic, blanketing the space in between the two combatants.

  
The child remained quiet, giving the skeleton a look of disgust. Weren't they past all the talk?

  
"not going to say a word, are you? that's fine with me, kiddo." The air grew thicker and Frisk had to steel themselves from taking a quivering step backward. They would not show weakness in the face of the enemy. A darkness revealed itself in Sans' features. "i'll kill you as many times as it takes."

  
Frisk took the hint and started to run forwards before a sharp crack reverberated down the hall. Their breath came in short and weak and difficult, and with trepidation they looked down. The pointed end of a bone neatly stuck out through their chest, shining with the red of their blood. A cough bubbled up their throat, and a second later, the ground was splattered in a sickly red. Body shivering and shaking as its time was coming to an end, Frisk glared down at the skeleton who stood in silent testament.

  
As their vision grew bleaker, the child growled in vehement rage. The smiley trashbag was not going to get away with insulting them to their face, not after what they'd gone through. It was another failure to add to their tally. Even though the child was positively outraged at Sans for toying with them, the skeleton would never understand where they were coming from, what a part of them had suffered through to get to this point. Before they left the world to reset as their health slowly drained to zero, they swore Sans was speaking.

  
".... changed... previous... happened?"

  
And as if fighting through a fog, the memory came forward with the child whose thoughts questioned if they were doing the right thing, after so long of their self-inflicted silent viewing. _I'm doing this for you_ they hissed at the other.

  
_Trapped in the void with no one else beside them, Frisk looked up into the face of Chara's old friend, his features morphed into a terrible being wielding immense power. Wings glowed with the absorbed magic of every monster in the Underground as well as the strength still residing in the six human souls. Any recognition Chara might have had for the monster, if they were still alive and cognizant, was slim, his features malevolent and arrogant._

  
_Asriel looked down upon the tiny human with an unreadable look, arms spread wide as six white souls vainly clung to existence in front of him, shrouded in uncertainty and static and reaching the point of no return. Despite everything he threw at the human, they would not allow the world to be RESET. Eventually they would have to give up, but Asriel was not willing to spend the eternity of time to find out when that breaking point was. Instead, he had a proposition. It would make this world a lot more interesting and give him the chance to see something new without allowing his_ friend _to leave. Chara would not forsake him again; they would have to accept his little game if they wanted to save those who had left him to his fate as a flower, struggling to feel_ anything _. A taste of the despair he had lived through sounded the ideal choice._

  
_Asriel cocked his head to the side and grinned, watching the human look upon the souls in panic and fear. Of course they would want to save their family and friends, especially being unable to SAVE their progress. He held the keys to time now._

  
_"SAVING is useless here, but with your DETERMINATION, I know you'll cling to life for as long as you can. So, how about we make a deal? Maybe with the little scrap of power you have left, you can SAVE something else." Asriel laughed. "Choose carefully, friend. You can only SAVE one."_


End file.
